It is hard for schools in England. They have little money to spend and have to cut back on many things. The UK government has cut school budgets. A head teacher in south London cannot pay for cleaners or canteen staff. She has to help to clean the toilets and serve students in the cafeteria herself. She recently told reporters that she was embarrassed because her school did not have enough money to support her students. She has sold school land, cut subjects and fired her deputy-head teacher to keep her school open.
The London school is like many schools in the UK. Thousands of head teachers have made difficult decisions about how to spend their school's money. Over 7,000 head teachers wrote to 3.5 million parents to explain there is no money. Schools have asked parents to volunteer to help the children. Some schools asked parents for toilet paper and other basics for classrooms. One school gives students just one sheet of A4 paper a month. Head teachers want to meet the UK's education secretary, but he refused. The UK government said funding for education was a priority.